Exposure to Genetically Engineered Virus

I became exposed to a genetically engineered virus during this time,

and what

happened is an untrained worker was told to use a

genetically engineered infectious agent, human infectious agent, on

my w- private workbench right next to my office

where I did not have any bi-

biosafety, uh, uh, personal protection on.

Which-

The-- He was told, this untrained person was told to,

to do this experiment on my

bench by a manager. Uh, immediately became ill.

Didn't know, uh, at the time

that this was a dangerous experiment I was exposed to because our lab had turned

from B- BL2 lab, where you could bring in these agents,

to a BL1 lab.

We no longer had a, a, a con- biocontainment hood,

so nothing should've been

brought into my lab. So I didn't know why I was getting sick,

and I went to the

doctor, and they thought I had, uh, beginnings of, uh, multiple sclerosis, MS.

And, uh, so I was struggling with that issue while still experiencing

retaliation

from my m- manager. And then a month later,

I had been to the doctor.

He, uh, who used the agent on my desk asked me did

I know what a lentivirus was.

And I, I said, "I know what a lentivirus is.

A lentivirus is a variety of viruses.

They can-- They're usually species-specific.

One is HIV." And he said, "Well, just for your own safety,

I've been using a

lentivirus on your bench."

And I said, "Well, give-- What, what type of lentivirus?"

And he said he didn't

know. I said, "I-- You don't-- you didn't know?" He said, "I, I

was told to use

this, this... do this experiment on your bench."

And I said, "Well, could you give

me the..." I thought he just didn't understand molecular biology, so I said,

"Could

you give me the background papers on your experiment so I could read up what he was

using?" He said, "They didn't give me any." I mean, well,

I was just like, I

couldn't believe it. But I asked him to please go check to make

sure it wasn't a

human infectious agent, and, uh, I s- I said, "I, I doubt if it is because, you

know, you've-- they wouldn't have told you to,

to use it." And the next day he

came, I was very busy, and he said, "Oh, yeah, it's completely safe.

Completely safe." So, uh, ended up getting very ill,

and I had to go out on

medical leave. And I did not know what was going on.

It was just a slow progressive illness.

Uh, I finally read one doctor's report, and in it, it had said I had some

post-viral syndrome. And I said, "Post-viral syndrome?

I've never been..." I didn't have the flu.

I didn't, I didn't know what he was talking about, but I thought, well,

I was

exposed to that lentivirus that they said was safe.

So that's when I wrote to Pfizer. I was on m-- on, uh, on medical

leave and for, um, within for my exposure records for the

identity of, of

that virus he was using. 'Cause he never told me what it was.

He just said it was safe and I, you know, I thought for sure it would be safe, and

then I got, got fired after I had that request.